Fountain Hills VFW Post No. 7507 presented Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputy Jose Torres with its National Law Enforcement Public Servant Citation for 2015.

Torres was nominated by MCSO Capt. Dave Letourneau, commander for the Sheriff’s District 7 based in Fountain Hills.

Torres began his MCSO career in 1991. He came to Fountain Hills and District 7 in September 2012.

Letourneau said that since being assigned to the district, Torres has worked hard to gain knowledge of the residents here, which is evident in the quality of work he does.

“He has received numerous commendations from citizens he has worked with thanking him for his hard work and dedication,” Letourneau said.

In 2014 Torres was instrumental in bringing numerous burglary cases to a successful close.

At a time when Fountain Hills and the Verde Communities were being hit hard by burglaries Torres investigated a complaint from Rio Verde.

One of the victims walked in on the suspect who was later found to work for a weed control company. He was using the guise of spraying weeds to gain access to homes.

Torres’ relentless investigation searching for evidence at one of the homes led to the evidence needed to apprehend the suspect. A total of 12 cases were solved due to Torres’ tenacity.

Letourneau said Torres has also been a quick study in learning the new dispatch system and paperless citations and accident reporting implemented by MCSO.

Torres is the community liaison officer for the district and attends community outreach events as necessary.

Torres will now be considered for national recognition by the VFW public servant awards.